Belonging
by Ichigo No Ki
Summary: After being sent to the mortal world, Hanatarou finds himself alone at a house party...that is until Keigo decides to keep him company. Keigo x Hanatarou. Yaoi. Oneshot


**Dedicated to Minosuke Ichigo.**

**Contains Yaoi**

**Pairing: Keigox Hanatarou, slight IchiRen**

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Hanatarou surveyed the room quietly from where he sat in the corner. When he had been sent to the mortal world, he never would've expected to be here tonight. He sat lost as various unfamiliar teenage bodies entwined themselves around one another, the stench of alcohol and sweat almost overwhelming to the bemused shinigami. It was a strange experience to say the very least. He hardly knew anyone here at this so-called "house party" and yet he'd been forced to listen to crappy rock music, and gulp down mouthfuls of sake and beer all night whilst strangers would hug him and proclaim him to be their best friend. He vaguely considered that if he drank a little more, or actually knew the people who were hugging him, the evening might actually turn out to be a bit more fun. He had no idea why he was here anyway…or so he tried to convince himself. The truth is, the reason he'd decided to come out tonight, despite his better judgement, was because of the person who'd invited him.

This whole ideal had been completely confusing to Hanatarou. He'd been sent to the human world with the message that he'd receive more information when he got there and that he was to act like a normal teenager attending Karakura high. However he'd been here several weeks now, and no one from the soul society had attempted to contact him. He'd ran into Ichigo on his first day as a student and found out to his dismay, that the orange-haired teenager was also oblivious as to why a fourth-squad shinigami might be needed in Karakura Town. There were no major disruptions, no intense battles to be fought. In fact, Ichigo had seen nothing but run of the mill hollows for months. And so Hanatarou had carried on going to school, awaiting further news of his mission.

Ichigo had done his best to ignore the other boy's presence acknowledging him only when it seemed necessary. Hanatarou had tried to keep to himself for the most part, not wanting too much attention drawn to him, in case he was distracted from his mission. (Once he finally figures out what it is.) However one Monday, the matter was taken out of his hands. It had been one of the rare occasions that Ichigo had chosen to seek Hanatarou out; he'd been checking up on him every few days for information as to why he was here. And Hanatarou guessed that why Ichigo had cornered him outside the classroom on a Monday lunchtime. Hanatarou could recall the familiar seriousness of the boy's expression as he opened his mouth to speak, when he was interrupted by someone squealing out "Ichigo!" Ichigo had closed his eyes in irritation before they were joined by two other boys from their class. The owner of the voice promptly ran over to the two like a hyperactive child in a toyshop whilst his friend followed him at a more dignified pace. "You didn't tell us you were friends with the new kid!" the boy had continued as he got closer to them, prompting Ichigo to stick out his leg and trip him up. Completely perplexed by the exchange he had just witnessed, Hanatarou had barely registered another voice speaking to him.

"…name is Kojima Mizuiro." He caught the tail-end of what had just been said. Guessing it to be his name, he nodded and smiled before realising it would be a good point to introduce himself.

"Yamada Hanatarou." He replied, taking the chance to survey the other. He seemed nice enough, with sleek black hair falling to just below his ears and a friendly, though slightly too innocent smile on his face.

"And that's Asano Keigo." Mizuiro added, indicating his classmate who was now pouting petulantly at Ichigo. Brown eyes lit up at the mention of their name and Keigo quickly turned to face the two, long brown hair flicking Ichigo in the face as he did so.

"Hey, Ichigo's friend!" He called out walking over to them. "How come Ichigo never mentioned you were friends with him. Has he been holding out on us?" He questioned a little too enthusiastically.

"Um…" he had answered, unsure of how to respond to the brunette. He vaguely recalled that Keigo hadn't called him by his name and so he stuttered out. "I…it's Yamada Hanatarou."

"Hanatarou, come have lunch with us!" Keigo declared with a flourish, putting an arm around Hanatarou as he did so, eliciting a blush from the shorter boy, much to his mortification.

"That's very kind of you, Asano-san." He replied politely, bowing his head slightly so as to hide the faint pink tinge that was still visible on his cheeks.

"No problem!" he announced now steering them both towards the exit. "And call me Keigo!" he added with a cheesy wink causing Ichigo to roll his eyes as he walk ahead of them, and Mizuiro to shake his head exasperatedly. All Hanatarou had done was smile. He remembered that at that moment, he had felt like something had changed; something that was going to mess his world up completely. And looking back on it, he realised that it had.

The passing weeks that led up to this current moment in time were some of the happiest weeks of Hanatarou's life. As far back as he could remember, he'd been bullied and teased wherever he went, yet here, he'd been welcomed and taken in so easily. For once, he finally had people he would be confident in referring to as friends. It was an amazing kind of feeling, to wake up and feel liked; to be hanging around with people who wanted to hang around with him. He found he got on well with Chad, and Mizuiro was always friendly. The girls were equally as welcoming, Orihime accepting him instantly as part of the group which made him friends with Tatsuki by default, as well as Chizuru. And although, they didn't exactly have long in-depth conversations, he also got on well with Ichigo…or at least well enough to warrant a greeting in the morning. And then there was Keigo…

Keigo was perhaps the main reason Hanatarou was so happy here. It was hard to explain just exactly how Keigo made him feel. He made him feel like he finally fit somewhere. They always seemed to have the most wonderfully weird conversations, with Keigo's manic over-enthusiasm and Hanatarou's reserved shyness, it was hard to believe how long they could spend talking about absolutely nothing. But, they still talked nearly every opportunity they could. Hanatarou had found himself enraptured with the others goofy sense of humour and Keigo was determined to draw him out of his shell. They quickly became close friends and they both found it hard to believe how easy and comfortable it was being with the other, and it confused them to no end why the expression 'friend' never seemed quite adequate when describing the bond between them.

Keigo helped Hanatarou feel like he finally belonged somewhere and so he found it extremely hard to say no to him when he had invited him here tonight. It wasn't even Keigo's party. It was his cousin's, who had asked Keigo to invite some other people because he had so few friends of his own, which was why most of Karakura high school's pupils were currently in somebody's massive apartment on the other side of town. Hanatarou had been reluctant to go. It would be completely out of his comfort zone, and just the thought of being in some stranger's home with people he barely knew made him want to hide. However, Keigo had begged him to come, finally adding "Please, it won't be fun if you're not there" with big, fake puppy eyes. That was what had persuaded him to come. The idea that Keigo thought he was fun, made him feel all strange and squiggly inside, and the word 'ok' had slipped out before he was even aware of making a decision. And so he sat here alone, and he had seen Keigo once when he'd first arrived before the brunette was swallowed up by the crowd. He'd only seen Keigo's cousin once as well. He was a short nervous-looking guy wearing oversized glasses. He had come up to the shinigami and uttered a "Who the hell are you? My mother is going to kill me!" and then, hyperventilating, had pushed his way back to the kitchen, leaving a bewildered Hanatarou in his wake.

He stood up from his spot on the sofa, absent-mindedly deciding to try and find Keigo. He made his way through the dancing tangle of bodies in the direction Keigo's cousin had headed earlier, finding himself in the kitchen. He looked around the white room searching for familiar brown eyes; however there were too many people, to really tell anyone apart. He saw an open door leading to the garden on the opposite wall and figured it would do him some good to breathe in some fresh air. Meandering his way through dozens of teenagers conversing drunkenly in front of the door; he finally made it out. He stood on the patio, relishing in the cool night air blowing gently across his face. The music from the party seemed to be nothing more than a distant hum, and he stood there soaking up the peace and quiet of the rather beautiful yet oversized garden that was spread before him.

"Hey, it's you!" an all too familiar voice broke through the silence. Hanatarou opened his eyes, unaware of when he'd closed them, and turned to face where Keigo's voice had came from. He took in the other's exhausted, breathless form and his curiosity got the better of him.

"Keigo, what happened to you?" Keigo blinked at him, before realisation hit him and he shot Hanatarou a sheepish grin.

"My cousin's after me. Apparently when he wanted me to invite people to his party, he meant like, nine or ten…not fifty." He answered. Hanatarou laughed gently at his friend and Keigo couldn't stop the genuine smile that flit across his features. Their eyes met across the few metres that separated them and they found themselves locked in a moment. There was nothing but the other standing in front of them. There was just the gentle wind and the lingering scent of jasmine swirling around them. The sounds of the party dimmed so low, all they could hear was the beating of their own hearts, and the gentle whisper of their breaths of the night, lulling and sedating them into a daze neither wanted to break free of. The distance between them seemed so small and yet so far away, they hesitantly moved forward as if to close it, eyes still transfixed on each other, as the distance became smaller and smaller…

"Keigo!"

And the moment was ruined.

"Shit!" Keigo's eyes widened as he suddenly became aware of why he was in the garden in the first place. "This way, quick!" he called out instinctively reaching out and grabbing Hanatarou's hand. They ran quickly down to the bottom of the garden; there was a hammock there hidden by several tall trees, Keigo had breathlessly explained on the way. Hanatarou supposed that it would be hard for his cousin to find them there. As they reached the edge of the lawn, they came across a small copse. "We can hide in here." Keigo panted nodding his head towards the trees. Hanatarou, however, hesitated.

"Keigo, there are noises coming from it…" Hanatarou told him, eyeing the mini forest suspiciously. Keigo opened his mouth to complain but a low moan interrupted him. Frowning in thought, he moved to where there was a small opening amongst the trees and walked in.

"Oh my God!" Keigo screamed. Hanatarou visibly jumped, his thoughts jumbling together as he panicked. Should he go for help? Or should he just wait for Keigo? But then another voice joined Keigo's in the shouting.

"Keigo! What the hell are you doing?" The voice seemed oddly familiar; however Hanatarou couldn't quite place it. Then another voice joined in, and the three voices all started screaming and shouting at each other until all their words became unintelligible. Hanatarou hovered where he stood unsure whether he should make a break for it, or intervene with the arguing voices. Just as he was about to step towards the copse, Keigo came running out of it followed by an angry, shirtless….Renji? Hanatarou stared up at the vice-captain, completely bemused, his confusion only doubled when a ruffled looking Ichigo appeared beside him; the pair of them fuming.

"You are dead." Renji glowered, his voice deathly low. Keigo just watched him terrified, before turning and sprinting off, making sure to grab Hanatarou's wrist as he did so. They dashed up to the house, Renji and Ichigo hot on their heels. They manoeuvred their way through the crowds, as they ran from room to room; eventually finding Keigo dragged him up a set of stairs and into a seemingly empty room before slamming the door shut behind them; as Keigo worked on locking the door, Hanatarou took a moment to take in their hiding place.

"Err, Keigo?" he started "Why are we in a bathroom?" he turned to face the other boy, an eyebrow raised in question.

"'cause no one'll find us in the bathroom." He stated as if were the most obvious thing in the world.

"But it's a bathroom."

"Yeah, well I've got three people on my case now, so it's not exactly safe to be anywhere else." He explained before dropping to the bathroom floor, leaning back against the over-sized bathtub. Once comfortable, Keigo patted the fluffy blue bathmat he was sitting on. "Sit. We're going to be here a while." Hanatarou rolled his eyes but complied nonetheless.

"Why were Renji and Ichigo so pissed at you anyway?" he asked softly once seated. Keigo flushed a deep red.

"I…um…I interrupted them…um, _doing_ _things_ on the hammock." Keigo stuttered out. Hanatarou frowned at the vague answer.

"Doing what?"

"You know…_things." _He murmured not meeting Hanatarou's gaze.

"No, I don't know." This time Keigo lifted his head and stared disbelievingly at his friend.

"You can't even guess?" he asked still red-faced. Hanatarou was about to shake his head, before a mental picture hit him. Renji appearing from the trees without a shirt, Ichigo looking completely disarrayed... and realisation hit him. There was only really one thing that could put them in that state.

"Oh. They were doing that?" He enquired. Keigo nodded cringing, desperately trying to erase the images of what they had been doing from his mind. All of a sudden, Hanatarou's face broke out into a grin. "That's so cute." He commented sweetly.

"Cute?" Keigo questioned incredulously. "I wouldn't exactly call it that."

"I would. I think they suit each other." Hanatarou disagreed, absent-mindedly leaning his head against the other's shoulder. Keigo opened his mouth to retort that even if they did suit each other, he never _ever_ wanted to see Ichigo in that position again, but a soft yawn from the boy beside him momentarily distracted him.

"Are you okay?" He asked in a rare moment of seriousness.

"Hm?" Hanatarou raised his head at the uncharacteristic tone, to find Keigo staring down at him with worried brown eyes. "Yeah, I'm fine- just tired." He assured him before moving to sit up. "Do you ever wish you had something like that?" Hanatarou spoke up out of the blue. Seeing the confused glance on the brunettes face, he decided to clarify. "I mean, that kind of feeling like you belong somewhere, that someone needs you or wants you, like you're the most important person in the world to that certain someone." Keigo hesitated; not really comfortable talking so seriously about stuff that he felt was actually quite personal.

"I guess. Don't most people want that?" He muttered in response, keeping his eyes determinedly fixed upon the bathroom floor. Hanatarou glanced up and noticed the distinct discomfort in the other.

"Forgive me, Keigo-chan, I didn't mean to pry." He apologised, turning to face the other direction. Keigo shrugged.

"It's ok. Why did you ask anyway?"

"I don't know. I guess I just wanted to know whether I was the only one who felt like that." He smiled slightly. "I envy them for being that close to somebody. I've never had anyone care so much about me." Keigo knew sometimes he didn't always appear the smartest of people. He never got good grades, and most people would describe him simply as a complete and utter goofball, but even he could pick up the slight hint of sadness in the way Hanatarou spoke that last sentence. For someone reason, it made his heart twinge painfully, and he had the mad urge to hold the smaller boy close and never let him go. He looked down at him, frowning slightly in thought.

"I care about you." He almost whispered but Hanatarou had heard it. He met the others glance, and seeing that for once he was being completely sincere, his lips turned upwards in a smile.

"I care about you too, Keigo-chan." He answered back happily. And as if it was the most natural thing in the world, as if the whole night had been working towards this final moment, they both leaned forward, lips meeting in the middle as they pressed their mouths together in a soft sincere kiss. It lasted all but a few seconds, but in those few seconds, they discovered just exactly what it was like to be the most important person in the world to someone, to be needed, to be wanted but most of all they finally felt like they belonged somewhere. They pulled apart and smiled knowingly at each other, identical pink tinges dusted along their cheeks. Suddenly shy, Hanatarou dropped his gaze to the floor. Keigo smiled and wrapped an arm around his waist, bringing him closer to him. Hanatarou, still blushing, moved further into the embrace dropping his head on the other's shoulder once again.

"Thanks, Keigo-chan." Hanatarou said in his soft voice before stifling a yawn.

"For what?" Keigo asked confusedly, looking down only to see the object of his affection already asleep. Keigo smiled and decided not to question the strange feelings that were invoked as he looked at the sleeping boy, instead opting to rest his head on the edge of the bathtub and wait until his cousin, Ichigo and Renji had calmed down enough, not to slaughter him the moment he stepped outside.


End file.
